Iatar
The world of Iatar is diverse and vast, technically referring to all Planes of Existence, but is colloquially the name given to the Material Plane. It was formed out of Chaos by the Titans, and has been sculpted continuously by Time, Gods, and mortals ever since. It is home to many different peoples and beasts, who wrestle for control of the wild landscape on which they live. By and large, the world is untamed, but pockets of civilisation exist within the cities that dot the landmasses. It is a land of magic, and many beasts and mortals alike have found ways to manipulate it in strange and magnificent ways. Truly, Iatar is complex and wonderful, and many hidden mysteries, both good and evil, lie waiting to be discovered! History The history of Iatar is long and rich, continuously unfolding as time goes ever forward. No-one, not even the Gods, remembers the beginning, and so any account is at best a legend, a story formed throughout the ages, told by parents to their children, by priests to their flock. The most commonly held view is recorded here, though other, more isolated cultures hold very different accounts of this story. The Titanic Era In the Beginning... In the beginning, Iatar was born out of chaos, torn into existence by the untamed power of the Titans, and thus, the Titanic Era began. The Titans warred with each other even as they formed the world, each vying for their aspect of creation to reign supreme. The result was a world that was in flux, ever-changing as each Titan gained brief dominance over the others. The Creation of Mortals After some time, Dracaris, the Dragon, bored with the petty disputes of the lesser Titans, set about to paint a living, sentient portrayal of Himself and His nature. Thus, the Dragons were created, and served as subjects to Dracaris. Seeing this achievement, the other Titans began to form their own mortals, breathing life into them to reflect each of their own traits. Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs were formed out of the chaos, and each served their tyrannical masters, but not all mortals were willing to be the simple playthings of the Titans. Divine Ascension After a time, a man named Gorandar came into Iatar. He was, by all appearances, a devout follower of Maelar, the Man, and as a reward, Maelar gifted to him more control over the Chaos than any other mortal had ever attained. With this newfound knowledge and power, Gorandar discovered a way to turn a mortal soul into a divine being, a God. This ritual became known as Divine Ascension, and while Gorandar never achieved the feat himself, he passed on his knowledge to an apprentice before he died, forming the Secret Order, and beginning the resistance against the Titans. The Great Clash A long time later, after the Secret Order had expanded to include hundreds of members, representing every race of mortals on Iatar, Gorgoron assumed command of the Order. Knowing that Ascension was possible, due to the successes of Tardoron, and others, and knowing that their time was limited due to those same successes, Gorgoron began work to bring the conflict to a head. 23 Champions were chosen to Ascend all at once, more than had ever been attempted before, in an all-or-nothing push to crush the Titans once and for all. The battle that followed between the 23 young Gods and their armies, and the 5 Titans and their armies, became known as The Great Clash, and the reverberations from that conflict can still be felt, even thousands of years later. The Gods emerged victorious, though not without cost. 9 of the Gods had been slain in the battle, and countless mortals were killed in the war. Nevertheless, the Titans had been slain, and their tyranny had come to an end. Thus ended the Titanic Era, and began the Chaos Era. The Chaos Era Despite the name, the Chaos Era brought much order to Iatar. The Gods assumed their various roles in their newfound duty or governing Iatar. They set the stars in motion, placed the Sun and Moon in the sky, and more or less regulated the weather patterns of the world. The Gods granted their faithful followers Divine Power, beginning the many Clerical and Paladric Orders of Iatar. All was going well, until they became jealous of one another, and began to fight amongst themselves. They used mortals in much the same way as the Titans did, and the world was quickly thrust into turmoil in the wake of these wars. Throughout these battles, a Pantheic Hierarchy was established, and in their pride, the Gods destroyed all knowledge of Divine Ascension to protect their sole dominance of Iatar. The Cataclysm In the year 1720CE, Asharaz was born of the God Yazanai to a mortal mother. Being the son of a God, Asharaz sought to be included in the Divine Pantheon, but his request was denied by his Father with the unanimous backing of the other Gods. This rejection corrupted Asharaz, and he became bent on usurping his Father and the other Gods, and began his quest to overthrow the Gods. Using his power as a Demigod, he began to gather and manipulate the Chaos spread by the warring Gods in an attempt to use it to Ascend. Seeing his growing power, the Gods united under the banner of Tor, and they led a huge army of mortals to Varysh, to challenge Asharaz before he could attain Godhood. Seeing no other option, Asharaz attempted to Ascend right then, with the Gods and their armies on his doorstep. He unleashed the power of all of the Chaos he had collected, but he could not control it fully, and it consumed him. The Chaos erupted out of him, killing him instantly, and sending shock-waves of force throughout Iatar. Many of the mortals in the Army of the Gods were vaporised, and their souls are said to be trapped still in the Plains of Asharaz. Seeing the destruction that the Chaos could bring to Iatar, the Gods decided to depart physically from the world, ending the Chaos Era, and beginning the Temporal Era. The Temporal Era The Restoration Before Tor departed from Iatar, He left His clerics with a single final order, to cleanse the world of Chaos. He imbued them with special Divine power to allow them to remove the Chaos from the Material Plane, into the Astral Plane, ridding Iatar of its destructive potential, while still allowing wizards to access it at need. Any resistance to the Divine command was met with ruthless force, and Tor's Order became feared among the people. By the year 394TE, Iatar had been mostly cleansed of Chaos, and a vision from Tor came to The Righteous Fist, telling Him that their task was complete. Tor's power left the Hands of Justice, and they became like the other Clerical Orders once more. The Long Peace Ironically named, the Long Peace was one of the most bloody periods of Iatar's history. It is named such because the Gods had left Iatar, and would no longer war with one another, creating stability and hope for the mortals who still occupied the world. However, this left a power vacuum on the world of Iatar, and many mortals sought power of their own. It was in this period that most of the kingdoms and empires of Iatar were born, through bloodshed and betrayal. This period ended in 527TE, when two kingdoms first declared war on each other, proving that mortals are no better at keeping the peace than Gods. Time goes on... Throughout the rest of the Temporal Era, Iatar ruled itself. Nations rose and fell, and mortals lived under their own rule for the first time. The Gods, though departed, were not idle, and they still influence Iatar in various ways, granting power to whom they will, and keeping the world in order. Mortals and Gods alike were pleased with the way Iatar was, and the world prospered during this time. The lust for power still corrupts however, and there are still some who remember that the Gods were not always Divine... Geography The world of Iatar is made up of six main landmasses, with swirling seas in between, dotted with islands, large and small. No mortal has ever travelled further than a few hundred miles in any direction out from these main landmasses, and no evidence of any further lands exist. Therefore, the Encircling Sea is said to bound Iatar, and the vast majority of mortals believe that nothing exists beyond. Iatos Iatos is a vast super-continent that dominates the centre of Iatar. It is so large, that seas are contained wholly within it. Iatos houses peoples of all kinds, and has been the site of the rise and fall of countless nations and empires. The Worldspire is located in the centre of Iatos, and it is said that the Titans began forming Iatar from this point. Faenir Faenir is a smaller continent, though by no means just an island. It spans almost 4,000 miles across, though by Iatar's standards, that is not extremely large. It is located to the North-East of Iatos, and contains the site of The Cataclysm, where Asharaz the Usurper consumed himself with Chaos, as well as the mysterious Mistview Isles, which, according to legend, was the headquarters of the Secret Order, and where the Gods Ascended to Divinity. Jorvun Jorvun lies to the North of Iatos, and dominates most of that region. Is mostly a barren wasteland, trapped in a perpetual winter. Very few mortals call Jorvun home, but there are some who have adapted to its harsh climate. Many strange beasts wander the snowy plains, and so particularly adventurous mortals will sometimes venture into Jorvun, seeking the rare treasures or trophies that these beasts might carry. Panthes Panthes is a crescent-shaped continent which is found to the East of Iatos. It is quite thin, but spans many thousands of miles. It is known as the Diplomat's Haunt, as many of the battles there are fought in courtrooms and council chambers, not on fields of war. Gythia Gythia is more of a vast archipelago than a continent, but as it covers most of Southern Iatar, it has earned a place among the great landmasses. It is said that there are more ships than houses in Gythia, and while not quite the case, the supposition is not far off. Many aquatic people call Gythia their home, and they spend most of their time on or in the sea, only going to the islands to interact with the other peoples that live there. Zhamaes Zhamaes is found to the west of Iatos, and is characterised by is immense chasms found running through the land. Legend holds that Zhamaes was the site of the Great Clash, which ended the Titanic Era, and that the chasms are scars of that legendary battle. Along with the seemingly bottomless chasms, Zhamaes boasts an extremely hostile climate, that only those adapted to can endure. As a result, not many travellers visit the land, and not much is known about it in other parts of the world.Category:The World